Alaska LCSW Requirements & Hours Tracker

Becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Alaska is governed by the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners under Alaska Statutes (AS 08.95) and regulations in 12 AAC 18. The board’s own forms and FAQs also add important detail about how hours must be structured and documented.

The outline below focuses on the exact hour requirements and how Alaska defines and verifies them.

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1. License type and governing law

In Alaska, the clinical license is officially called a “license to practice clinical social work” and is commonly referred to as the LCSW. The core statutory requirements appear in AS 08.95.110 (License requirements); supervision standards are in 12 AAC 18.115, and the statutory definition of “clinical social work” is in AS 08.95.990. (law.justia.com)

The Board operationalizes these requirements through its “Clinical Social Worker License by Examination” application packet and supervision forms. (commerce.alaska.gov)

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2. Educational requirement

To qualify at the clinical level, Alaska requires:

• A master’s degree or doctoral degree in social work from a college or university approved by the Board. (law.justia.com)

The board’s application instructions specify that certified transcripts of a master’s or doctoral degree in social work must be sent directly from the institution. (commerce.alaska.gov)

(Other degrees—e.g., counseling or psychology—do not meet the LCSW requirement; the degree must be in social work.)

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3. Definition of “clinical social work” in Alaska

Alaska law defines “clinical social work” as:

the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders and the use of techniques of applied psychotherapy of a nonmedical nature while practicing social work. (law.justia.com)

In practice, this means your supervised experience must genuinely involve clinical assessment and psychotherapy (not just case management or resource coordination) to count as postgraduate clinical social work.

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4. Postgraduate clinical experience: total hours and time frame

4.1. Amount and timing of experience

By statute and by the Board’s application instructions, you must complete:

• Option A – Full‑time path

  • A minimum of two years of continuous full‑time employment in postgraduate clinical social work, completed within the 10 years before applying for licensure. (law.justia.com)

• Option B – Part‑time path

  • A minimum of 3,000 hours of less‑than‑full‑time employment in postgraduate clinical social work,
  • Accrued over a period of not less than two years,
  • Also completed within the 10 years before application. (law.justia.com)

The Board’s own instructions summarize this as documenting:

“a minimum of two years of continuous full‑time employment, or 3,000 hours of part‑time employment, in postgraduate clinical social work within 10 years before the application for licensure….” (commerce.alaska.gov)

4.2. What counts as “hours”

The Board’s Postgraduate Clinical Social Work Supervision form requires the supervisor to report:

• “Total hours applicant was employed in a clinical social work position during this period at the agency” (one number for each supervision period, not “40 hours/week”). (commerce.alaska.gov)

Alaska does not break those 3,000 hours into, for example, “X hours direct client contact” vs. “Y hours administrative.” The key is that the work is employment in a clinical social work position that involves the clinical activities described in the definition above and in the Board’s “qualifying clinical supervision” FAQ. (commerce.alaska.gov)

In other words, the state uses:

• Total employment hours in a clinical social work position (up to or totaling at least two years full‑time or 3,000 part‑time), plus
• A separate, specific requirement for supervision hours (see next section).

Alaska does not use a split like “1,500 hours direct experience and 1,500 hours supervised experience.” Instead, supervision is layered on top of your clinical employment hours.

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5. Supervision requirements and supervision hours

5.1. Minimum supervision hours and format

Regulation 12 AAC 18.115(a) sets a specific supervision minimum:

• You must document at least 100 hours of direct clinical supervision,
• Equitably distributed throughout the supervised period,
• With no more than 50 of those hours in group supervision (unless the Board grants an exception for good cause). (regulations.justia.com)

On the supervision verification form, supervisors must report:

• Total hours of individual clinical supervision provided to you, and
• Total hours of group clinical supervision provided to you. (commerce.alaska.gov)

“Direct clinical supervision,” under 12 AAC 18.115, must be:

• Delivered in face‑to‑face meetings between you and the supervisor, and
• Face‑to‑face is defined as meetings where you and the supervisor can speak and hear each other simultaneously, either in person or via electronic means (e.g., secure video). (regulations.justia.com)

5.2. Required supervision content areas

The same regulation requires your supervisor to be responsible for your direct clinical supervision in all of the following content areas: (regulations.justia.com)

1. Clinical skills
2. Practice management skills
3. Skills required for continuing competence
4. Professional identity development
5. Ethical practice
6. Legal and regulatory requirements

Alaska’s FAQ emphasizes that clinical supervision must be tied to these domains and to the statutory definition of clinical social work (diagnosis and applied psychotherapy). (commerce.alaska.gov)

5.3. Who can supervise you

Current requirements (through June 30, 2026):

• Supervision can be provided by a licensed clinical social worker, licensed psychologist, or licensed psychiatrist with an unrestricted license in Alaska or another jurisdiction during the supervision period. (regulations.justia.com)

For licensing periods that begin after June 30, 2026, an additional regulation applies:

• Under 12 AAC 18.113, your clinical supervisor (LCSW, psychologist, or psychiatrist) must:
  • Have at least three years of experience as a licensed LCSW, psychologist, or psychiatrist;
  • Hold an unrestricted license during the supervision period; and
  • Have at least six hours of continuing education in supervision or supervisory practices, plus six more hours of supervision CE each biennial licensing period thereafter. (regulations.justia.com)

If your supervised hours will extend beyond mid‑2026, it is safest to work with a supervisor who meets these newer standards from the outset.

5.4. Alternate supervision methods

The Board can approve an alternate supervision method (for example, if standard face‑to‑face supervision is impracticable), but:

• You must submit an alternate supervision plan on the Board’s form, and
• You must receive Board approval before you begin counting alternate-method hours. (regulations.justia.com)

The FAQ explicitly warns that any hours obtained prior to approval do not count toward licensure when alternate supervision is involved. (commerce.alaska.gov)

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6. Relationship between employment hours and supervision hours

Putting Sections 4 and 5 together, Alaska’s structure looks like this:

• Clinical employment requirement

  • Either two years full‑time postgraduate clinical social work or 3,000 hours part‑time over at least two years, within 10 years before applying. (law.justia.com)

• Supervision requirement

  • A minimum of 100 hours of direct clinical supervision, equitably distributed over that employment period, with no more than 50 hours as group supervision without special Board approval. (regulations.justia.com)

The 3,000 hours are measured as:

• Total hours employed in a clinical social work position (not broken down in rule into direct vs indirect hours), and these hours must be under appropriate clinical supervision.

The 100 supervision hours are in addition to those employment hours; they are not carved out of, or counted instead of, the 3,000.

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7. Other statutory requirements for LCSW

Beyond education and hours, AS 08.95.110 also requires that you: (law.justia.com)

• Be of good moral character;
• Be in good professional standing and fit to practice social work as determined by the Board;
• Provide three professional references, which must include:
  • A current employer supervisor (if currently employed in social work),
  • A previous employer supervisor (if previously employed in social work), and
  • One reference from a specified category of mental health professionals (e.g., master’s or doctorate-level social worker, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, APRN in mental health, etc.);
• Have no disqualifying disciplinary or criminal history, or adequately explain and document any issues;
• Pass the ASWB Clinical Examination; and
• Pay the required fees.

The current Clinical Social Worker by Examination instructions list the fees as:

• $100 nonrefundable application fee;
• $325 initial license fee (total $425 to apply), plus ASWB exam fees paid separately to ASWB. (commerce.alaska.gov)

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8. Application pathways: by examination vs. by credentials

8.1. By examination (most common for first-time Alaska LCSW)

The Board’s Clinical Social Worker License by Examination packet (form #08‑4870) lays out the steps: (commerce.alaska.gov)

1. Earn your MSW/DSW in social work from a Board‑approved program.
2. Obtain supervised postgraduate clinical social work employment meeting the 2‑year/3,000‑hour standard and 100‑hour supervision requirement.
3. Have each eligible supervisor complete the Postgraduate Clinical Social Work Supervision form (#08‑4870c), documenting:
   • Total hours in a clinical social work position;
   • Total hours of individual supervision;
   • Total hours of group supervision;
   • Dates of supervision;
   • Supervisor’s license type and number. (commerce.alaska.gov)
4. Gather three professional references on the Board’s reference form (#08‑4870d). (commerce.alaska.gov)
5. Submit the LCSW by Examination application, fees, transcripts, supervision forms, references, and license verifications from any jurisdiction where you have been licensed. (commerce.alaska.gov)
6. Once the Board approves you to test, register for and pass the ASWB Clinical Exam. (commerce.alaska.gov)
7. Upon confirmation of exam passage and a complete file, the Board issues your license to practice clinical social work.

8.2. By credentials (for out‑of‑state LCSWs)

The Clinical Social Worker License by Credentials process is for already‑licensed clinical social workers coming from another state. The Board compares your original state’s requirements to Alaska’s (including supervised clinical hours and supervision standards) to determine equivalency. (commerce.alaska.gov)

Even for credentials applicants, Alaska still expects the underlying supervised experience to meet or closely parallel the “two years postgraduate clinical employment or 3,000 hours, plus 100 hours of face‑to‑face supervision” standard. (commerce.alaska.gov)

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9. Practical summary of Alaska’s hour requirements

For planning purposes, the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners currently requires, at minimum:

1. Postgraduate clinical employment

   • Two years of continuous full‑time postgraduate clinical social work,
   • Or 3,000 hours of part‑time postgraduate clinical social work over at least two years,
   • Completed within 10 years before you apply,
   • Under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist with an unrestricted license. (law.justia.com)

2. Supervision hours

   • At least 100 hours of direct clinical supervision,
   • Spread throughout that employment period,
   • With no more than 50 hours of that total in group supervision unless the Board approves an exception in writing. (regulations.justia.com)

3. Supervision structure

   • Supervision must be face‑to‑face (in person or live two‑way electronic) and address specific content areas: clinical skills, practice management, continuing competence, professional identity, ethics, and legal/regulatory requirements. (regulations.justia.com)

Alaska does not subdivide the 3,000 hours into, for example, “1,500 direct client hours + 1,500 supervised hours.” Instead, it requires 3,000 total clinical employment hours plus 100 separate, documented supervision hours that meet the detailed criteria above.

Because statutes and regulations can change, the most current versions of AS 08.95, 12 AAC 18, the Board’s LCSW application forms, and the FAQs on the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing website should always be checked right before you apply or begin accruing hours. (commerce.alaska.gov)